Archive for the 'Jury Nullification' Category

Call to All Colorado Juror Rights Educators If you have been considering doing juror rights outreach in Denver, Colorado but your willingness to exercise your First Amendment-protected right to do so has been chilled due to the threat of arrest, especially in light of the recent arrests of Mark Iannicelli and Eric Brandt, we would […]

We understand that the Denver District Attorney will be subpoenaed in connection with the recent arrests of two juror rights educators in Denver, Colorado. Mark Iannicelli and Eric Brandt have been charged with seven counts each of alleged jury tampering, simply for distributing information on jury nullification. Iannicelli and Brandt are being harassed by the […]

A second juror rights educator has been arrested this past weekend in Denver. According to another press release from the Denver DA’s office, Eric Brandt is also charged with seven counts of alleged jury tampering. This morning I requested the charging document and probable cause statement from the contact person listed on the press release, […]

The above graphic features a famous quote from John Adams regarding the right—and duty—of jury nullification in accordance with a juror’s best judgment and conscience. But where does it come from? At a FIJA supporter’s request, I tracked it down and now the source material has found a home on the FIJA website here: From […]

Since the Denver DA issued a press release on the arrest last week of Mark Ianicelli for handing out jury nullification flyers, I gave the contact person listed therein a call this morning to see about getting more information on the case. She forwarded me the Complaint and Information as well as the Probable Cause […]

I had a long, post-acquittal chat yesterday with Joe Grumbine of The Human Solution International regarding the dramatic and very encouraging acquittal of Kyler Carriker in Wichita, Kansas. Joe attended much of the trial in person and shared many insights as to how jury nullification played into this case. By way of a brief summary […]

I got news this afternoon from Joe Grumbine of The Human Solution International of a Not Guilty verdict in the case of Kyler Carriker, accused of felony murder. “This whole case was about jury nullification and bad law,” Joe reports. Carriker was not involved with the killing, but was charged under a state law that […]

A Denver medical marijuana patient has been acquitted by a jury of a marijuana-related DUI after being pulled over for having an expired license plate tag—not for unsafe driving. She identified herself as a medical marijuana patient when the officer who pulled her over indicated that he smelled marijuana. A blood test indicated a THC […]

Hello, FIJA supporters! Last month I introduced myself to you and explained a bit about my role at FIJA as the 2015 Summer Fellow. Today I’d like to give you an update on some of what I’ve been doing so far. Research for the Jury Health Project is well underway at this point, and I’ve […]

Happy Magna Carta Day! Today marks the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta in 1215 at Runnymede. Now that I’m getting the hang of this after a couple of short broadcasts, I invite everyone to join us at 8 past the hour throughout the day for a series of short broadcasts on […]

It’s June, and for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community, that means it’s Pride month. All around the world throughout June, pride parades and pride festivals celebrate our identities, our lives, our culture, our progress in smashing stigmas, and our resistance to oppression. That last part, resistance, is absolutely crucial. Pride is […]

Hello, FIJA supporters! My name is Nathan Goodman, and I will be joining the Fully Informed Jury Association this summer as a Fellow, conducting research for FIJA’s new Jury Health Project. I’ll be studying various issues related to the right to trial by jury as they vary across the federal, state, and Washington, DC court […]

Late last month, a jury acquitted Steven Ficano on two felony charges, possession of marijuana and possession of marijuana with intent to sell. Ficano grows marijuana for medicinal use, and at the time of his arrest in 2012, he had both a medical marijuana license and a note from his doctor explaining the quantity of […]

In last night’s episode of Freedom Feens, available for online listening here, Randy England spends some time discussing his experience with jury nullification from the prosecutor’s side of the courtroom. The jury nullification discussion comes up in the segment starting about an hour in, but there is extensive discussion of the recent Ross Ulbricht case […]